Journal - Day 15 - Santorini

Day 15 - Akrotiri, Santorini

May 27, 1997

Packed and ready to be picked up at 10:00. We met our French Canadian neighbours. They had booked in through an agency and were paying 12,500 drachmas for the same room we have for 4,000.

ferry Rode the Syros Express past Ios to Santorini. The ocean is So Beautiful! The colors are absolutely indescribable Shafts of sunlight slice down 10-12 feet below the surface of the water. Where the white surf breaks, the color goes from a briliant Aegean blue, to aquamarine. It is just so beautiful. As I stood there watching the colors dancing in the sunlight I felt such a serene sense of myself. I will keep the magic of that moment in a corner of my soul forever.

Karlos met the ferry, and recognized Dad right away. One hundred or more foot passengers alighted from the ferry, and here is this fella pointing, waving, and gesturing at Dad - waving his Karlos Pensions sign at us. Karlos drove us up from the port to the top of the caldera. Quite a hairy ride. Instead of staying on his own side of the road, every time the road swithbacks, Karlos goes waaaaay out into the oncoming lane - always a blind corner, to make the turn. He's driven the road hundreds of time, but it's a little too aggressive for me. Our room (for tonight only - he is full) has 2 rooms and 5 beds! We move tomorrow into a regular room.

We went down to see Eva. She says to Dad "I remember YOU. You stayed in Room #1" Dad was here for 3 days, 5 years ago. Three days out of these people's LIVES, and they all remember him. The man makes an impression wherever he goes! We presented Eva with a now slightly wilted bouquet, but she put them in a vase where they stayed the whole time we were in Santorini. She made us a Santorini Specialty. Tomato Balls. Kind of a vegetable fritter. Very tasty. And we also drank some of Karlos' homemade retsina.

Eva had told us that dinner was served any time after 7:30 PM. This surprised us, as everywhere else so far seems to serve dinner after 9:00. Well, we went down at 8:20 and Eva was still in the shower. I guess 7:30 Greek time still means 9:00 PM. Tonight Maria said Eva will be cooking fish and chicken and green beans. I ordered the fish, Dad the chicken. Sometimes, even though their English is very good, it's hard to tell whether they Really understand everything we say. They nod and smile, and you hope for the best. Anyway, Eva arrived with a platter of six fish! I assumed she hadn't heard us correctly, and that she thought we both wanted fish. Then she presented Dad his chicken. He thought it was an ostrich leg. Needless to say, we could barely walk away from the table. Only 2 other patrons in the restaurant. One from Santorini, and one from Albania. "What-is-your-name?" the Albanian asked. I think that was the only thing he knew in English.

Day 16 -Thira/Oia, Santorini

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